A new look for NTU libraries

STUDENTS coming back after the semester break will notice that Lee Wee Nam Library looks bigger than before.

They are right; the library is among several in the university that got revamped over the holidays.

Renovation works were also carried out at Library 2, the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information�s Asian Communication Resource Centre (ACRC), as well as the Wang Gungwu Library at the Chinese Heritage Centre.

These upgrades are part of NTU Library�s interim measures to help cope with an expanding collection of books as well as library users� desire for increased studying space, said Head of Library Facilities Planning, Ms Goh Su Nee.

Ms Goh pointed out that the library space per student as well as the percentage of seats to student population is much smaller compared to the libraries of other universities with similar student population.

The 1,900m² extension on the fifth level adds approximately 300 reading spaces which includes 60 individual studying cubicles.

�We understand that students need a variety of studying spaces for different purposes so we have added both communal and individual reading tables to accommodate to the students� needs,� said deputy university librarian Mrs Isabella Trahn.

First-year School of Biological Sciences student Nicole Kong, 20, who frequents the library to study, welcomed the increase in reading spaces.

�I use Lee Wee Nam Library quite often, and sometimes, especially during exam season there are not enough reading tables at all,� she said.

�I�m really glad that they have added more studying spaces, because the library is indeed getting a little crowded.�

The new extension will also have two new phone-talk booths so students can make phone calls there without distracting other library users.

However, Sim Wee Cheng, 22, a second-year School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering student said he does not see the need for a phone-talk booth.

�Students can easily leave the library to make phone calls. It is an interesting idea but I don�t think it is that necessary,� he said.

He suggested that more power points at the library would be beneficial to laptop users.

Also, Library 2 has been renamed the Business Library and will hold mainly business-related resources and services. DVD collections from the Media Resource Library located one level below Library 2 were also moved there.

NTU Library is currently working on an open-shelf browsing system for these audiovisual materials.

The Business Library and ACRC now also sport Reserve Book Rooms (RBR) near their entrances to speed up the process of searching for recommended texts, references and articles.

Book drops around NTU libraries will also be rigged with radio frequency identification (RFID) system that instantly updates returned materials. Loans can be cancelled instantly, so students can start borrowing those books again.

Students can look forward to more changes as the university hopes to realise its Library Development Plan for two library hubs in the near future.

Angeline Goh, 20, a second-year Nanyang Business School student, felt that this round of upgrading works will benefit students greatly.

�It will be easier to do research now that different subjects are consolidated under different libraries,� she said. �The RFID book drops will also make returning and loaning of library materials much more convenient.�